Carmel Valley neighbors question dog park process

Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified Monterey lawyer Hansen Reed.

There could be many months and bureaucratic or legal obstacles ahead before any dogs are seen leaping hurdles or deck diving at a proposed dog training complex in Carmel Valley across from the Quail Lodge and Golf Club. That's because some of the project's neighbors are concerned about still unclear impacts of the project and are wondering how it got to this point.

Perejo said he didn't know enough about the details to pass judgment on the plans, which include modular buildings and parking for up to 70 recreational vehicles, but said he and others felt blindsided.

"How in the heck did that get this far, this quickly, without going through any of the normal processes which any normal developer would do," he asked.

While county officials say no rules have been broken, area residents expressed concerns that Martha Diehl, a Monterey County planning commissioner, is a co-owner of the venture. They said they didn't know of the project until grading started, which is when the local grapevine heated up and a large sign announcing the project went up.

At first blush some neighbors of the center on Valley Greens Drive were pleased.

"How wonderful, wide open spaces, green," said Maggie Case, a board member of Homeowners at Quail, Inc.

She, like others, thought dirt being moved on the 45-acre site was for another project of nearby Earthbound Farms.

"Then I saw some (building) pads going up," Case said. "Shortly after that we saw some poles going up and some trenches going in."

Case and other neighbors were concerned when the scope of the plan became more apparent.

"They could have made a bigger effort," Case said. "... Drawing our attention to what was going to happen."

County officials say no rules were broken, however.

"The grading, irrigation and planting work completed to date has been under the auspices provided (for) existing and ongoing agriculture," senior county planner John Ford said by email Thursday. Ford said some trenching that had been going on at the site was ordered stopped during a meeting earlier this month of the Carmel Valley Land Use Advisory Committee.

Hansen said this week, "We're disappointed that the work began on clearing the site, grading and trenching for utilities without better notice and legal authority. The noticing for the project was unfortunate, and the project keeps changing."

Diehl, the canine center co-owner, said she doesn't know what could have been done differently to inform neighbors. She said project plans are still being refined.

"I am sorry that some people have felt so worried and angry. We would have been equally willing to hear and address their concerns if they had been presented in a less confrontational manner, but really that is their choice," Diehl wrote in an email response to Herald questions. "The entire community is demonstrably fully aware of our project proposal now, at the very earliest possible stage of the process, so I would suggest that we've actually been pretty successful in engaging all those interested compared to many project proposals."

The dog center group signed a 10-year lease on the property, and Diehl said she could not reveal her plans to neighbors before the ink was dry, something neighbor Case disputes. Case said she understood that plans for the dog complex had been under way for five years.

"Why was it undercover ... undercover from who?" Case asked. "What was secret about leasing some property for continued agricultural use?"

Diehl said she did not understand the concern.

"In my experience, most lease negotiations among private parties are conducted privately, and this one was no different," she wrote. "I would not expect a homeowner in the Quail community to notify me before they sold or leased their home to another party..."

Planner Ford said the dog center is going through an entirely standard planning process and that perceptions that Diehl has an inside track are just that, perceptions.

"Martha Diehl...is afforded no special privilege with respect to this application. The application is going through the process just as any other application would," Ford said in his email.

The homeowners in the Quail Lodge area have created a website to keep the neighborhood informed at www.friendsofquail.com and they have hired Monterey attorney Michael Stamp to represent their interests.

Stamp and Hansen said they are focused on the project and not the preliminaries.

"Our attention at this point is on the project itself — its features, its location, and its impacts, including traffic, water, parking, and incompatibility with the residential and rural nature of Carmel Valley," Hansen wrote. "There are significant impacts and risks, and better alternatives that need to be addressed as well."

Stamp agreed.

"We, too, are reviewing the project very carefully. We have identified serious major issues, and will participate in ensuring that the project's problems are considered honestly and fairly and in full compliance with the law if this project proceeds."

Tony Lombardo, attorney for Quail Lodge, also expressed concerns at the land use advisory meeting. The advisory committee makes recommendations to the planning commission. Committee Chairwoman Janet Brennan has suggested that a full environmental impact report be required. Diehl said while she hopes a full EIR is not needed — adding expense and time to the process — she will comply with whatever decision makers request.

"We trust the public process and plan to do whatever is required to make this project a reality," Diehl wrote.